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The Trinity Lavra of St Sergius at Sergiev Posad has long been considered the spiritual centre of Russia. It was shut down by the Bolsheviks in 1920. This book recounts in detail how secret monasteries and communities sprang up there and the liturgy was celebrated clandestinely. Pavel Florenskii, Mikhail Novoselov, Iurii Olsuf’iev and other confessors never abandoned Sergiev Posad, sometimes paying with their lives. Women played a vital part. The book relates from memoirs, letters and interviews the lives of members of Russia’s ‘Catacomb Church’ of the Soviet period and their religious communities. Since 1990 many have been canonised. The mother of archpriest Aleksandr Men’ (1935-90) had him baptised at Sergiev Posad and after 1945 he retained links with a secret monastery there. Thus his high-profile ministry after the fall of Communism grew out of the ‘Catacomb Church’ associated with the Lavra. The final item in this book is a memoir of Father Aleksandr by Sergei Bychkov, who knew him well. |
